Making Your Own Beads

For those who have started to enjoy jewellery design, the next step is to create some of your own beads. To do this you will need a few tools to get started as well as a bit of flair to be creative! If you already design your own jewellery then the chances are you have an idea of the kind of beads you want and already have the creative part down. The tools are not that difficult to come by, especially if you are just planning to make beads on a small scale.

When you begin making beads, it is probably a good idea to start off with the least expensive tools you can find. You may eventually find that you do not enjoy making beads anymore or you may find it to be too difficult. If you don’t make a huge investment, you can give it a try without worrying about the financial outlay.

The first thing that you should consider is the type of beads that you are interested in making. You may want to start off with clay beads to get some design ideas. With clay you are able to combine colors and make some really unique beads for your jewellery. There are clays that are available for purchase in a huge variety of colors and that will be able to harden and dry right in your home oven. Make sure that the pans and materials you use are specific to your bead making only. Many people also use a food processor or pasta maker for combining colors and you should make sure that you only use these pieces of equipment for working with the clay.

If you are going to be making glass beads, the most important piece of equipment you will need is a kiln. However, it is not requisite to you buy a kiln initially. You can melt glass by using a special torch that will focus the heat directly on the piece of glass you are melting. There is a large range of safety equipment required for making glass beads. The temperatures that are used would require you to be very careful whilst making the glass beads. An injury from these kinds of temperatures could be very serious.

Once you have worked with your beading equipment for a while and have got used to it, you may be interested in purchasing some of the more expensive equipment, such as a kiln. These can range in price from a few hundred pounds for a small one to thousands for the larger varieties. Cost will obviously depend on the size and the temperature range of the kiln. Choose one that you will find the easiest to use and has all of the safety features that you need.

Making your own beads is a great way to further your own jewellery making efforts. You will also find that if your beads are unique and beautiful, other jewellery designers may be interested in purchasing them from you. Glass making is an art form and you might find that you have a flair for making these tiny works of art.

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To find out if you are a guru at jewellery making, see a wide range of beads at this wonderful website – http://www.e-beads.co.uk. There is enough selection on the site for even the most avid of jewellery makers to have lots of fun!